Wakeboard binding plate assembly and method of use

ABSTRACT

A wakeboard binding plate assembly includes a binding plate and binding chassis that allows for a light weight and low cost attachment of a boot assembly to the wakeboard. The binding plate includes toothed segments on a side that are adapted to engage toothed segments in a bottom surface of the binding chassis of a boot assembly. The angular position of boot assembly with respect to the binding plate is determined, and the binding plate is fitted to the binding chassis so that the angular position is attained, with the teeth of the plate and chassis engaged to maintain the desired angular orientation. The plate has slots and the chassis has openings, and fasteners extend through the slots and into the openings to attach the plate to the chassis. The plate is equipped with ears that facilitate attachment to the wakeboard.

This application claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) based onprovisional patent application No. 60/693,792 filed on Jun. 27, 2005,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an improved wakeboard binding plateassembly, and particularly to a wakeboard binding plate assembly thatfacilitates easy adjustment of the alignment of the feet of a wakeboarduser.

BACKGROUND ART

In the prior art, various types of bindings are used for wakeboards. Onedesirable feature of these bindings is adjustability so that a user canorient the bindings in a particular direction. One type uses bootassemblies, which includes the various components necessary to retain auser's feet to the wakeboard. The boot assembly is mounted to a baseplate or the like, with the base plate being movable. An example of thistype of binding is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,017 to Ott. However, thepresent day adjustable bindings are often complicated in design or arenot easily adjusted.

While bindings are also employed for snowboards, these bindings are notsuited for wakeboards, since the snowboard bindings are designed so thatthe boot is removable from the binding assembly. In contrast, the bootassembly of the wakeboard stays on the wakeboard, with the user removinghis foot from the wakeboard boot.

As such, a need exists for improved adjustability for wakeboardbindings. The present invention responds to this need through animproved binding plate assembly that permits easy and quick adjustmentof the orientation of the wakeboard binding.

One improved binding plate assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,945,837 to Crumrine et al., herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety. In this patent, an improved plate assembly is disclosed thatemploys a disc and a ring. The disc is designed to attach to a wakeboardboot binding with the ring designed to attach to the wakeboard itself.The ring and disk have irregular surfaces designed to engage each other.The disk and ring can be engaged in a desired arrangement, and then thering is secured to the wakeboard, thus locking the disk and boot bindingin a desired angular attachment. Loosening of the ring once attached tothe wakeboard allows the disk and boot binding to be rotated for bindingangular adjustment. FIGS. 1 and 2 shows the binding plate assembly ofU.S. Pat. No. 6,945,837. Therein, the binding plate is designated by thereference numeral 10 and is seen attached to a wakeboard 1 andsupporting a boot assembly 3. The boot assembly 3 is exemplary andvirtually any type of boot assembly can be used with the binding plateassembly of the invention. The ring is shown as 5 with the diskdesignated as 7. Teeth 9 on ring 5 are designed to engage teeth 11 ondisk 7 to hold the disk 7 in place when the ring 5 is attached to theboard 1. The ring has openings 13 to allow for attachment to thewakeboard 1 using fasteners (not shown), with openings 15 allowing thedisk to be attached to a chassis of the boot assembly 3.

While the binding plate assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,837 isadvantageous in that it offers an easy and quick adjustment by merelyloosening the ring to allow the disk to rotate to another angularorientation, such an on-the-fly adjustment is not necessarily needed formore experienced riders. The experienced riders generally know thedesired angular orientation of their binding plate and do not need aquick adjustment feature, and the features of the plate assembly of U.S.Pat. No. 6,945,837 often go unused by certain riders.

As such, a need exists for improved wakeboard bindings that cater to themore experienced rider. The present invention responds to this needthrough an improved binding plate assembly that is simpler and lighterin weight than that of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first object of the invention is an improved wakeboard binding plateassembly.

Another object of the invention is a wakeboard binding using theinventive binding plate assembly.

A further object of the invention is a method of easily establishing theorientation of a wakeboard binding.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent when reviewing thedescription below.

In satisfaction of the foregoing objects and advantages, the inventionis an improvement in a wakeboard binding that employs a boot assemblythat is attached to a wakeboard through an intermediate component suchas a binding plate. The invention comprises the combination of bindingchassis and a binding plate, wherein the binding plate is adapted toattach to a wakeboard. The binding plate has at least one irregularsurface with the binding chassis having at least one other irregularsurface. The irregular surface of the binding plate is adapted to engagethe irregular surface of the binding chassis to maintain them in adesired angular configuration. The binding plate includes means forattaching the plate to both the binding chassis and the wakeboard.

Preferably, the irregular surface of the binding chassis is a toothedring or segments of a toothed ring with the irregular surface of thebinding plate being similar in structure.

The means for attaching the binding plate to the binding chassis caninclude a plurality of openings in the binding chassis, a plurality ofslots or other openings in the binding plate, and fasteners designed topass through the slots or openings in the binding plate and be securedto the openings in the binding chassis. The slots or openings in theplate are designed so that the openings in the binding chassis adaptedto receive the fasteners are visible in spite of the binding plate beingrotated with respect to the binding chassis.

While the irregular surface can be any type, if teeth are employed, itis preferred to have the teeth configured such that rotation of thebinding plate by one tooth results in a known angular change in theangular position of the plate with respect to the binding chassis. Thisallows a user to know precisely the extent of angulation when moving thebinding plate with respect to the binding chassis.

The invention also includes the method of securing a binding chassis toa wakeboard by the steps of providing the binding chassis and itsirregular surface and the binding plate having its irregular surface ona face thereof. An angulation between the binding chassis and bindingplate is determined and the irregular surfaces are mated based on theangulation. Once the angulation is determined, the binding plate isattached to the binding chassis, and the binding plate can then beattached to a wakeboard.

While the invention is an improvement in wakeboard bindings, theinvention also includes the combination of the binding plate and bindingchassis for use with a wakeboard as well as a wakeboard employing thenovel binding plate assembly features.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art binding plate assemblymounted on a wakeboard;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ring and disc in an explodedconfiguration of the prior art binding plate assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the binding plateassembly of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a binding chassis that includes an irregularsurface;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing the plate and chassis attached together;and

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing the engagement of thebinding plate and binding chassis.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The inventive binding plate for a wakeboard binding offers significantadvantages over the prior art binding plates and adjustable mechanisms.A boot assembly using the inventive binding plate assembly is easilyconfigured to a desired angular position with respect to the bindingplate. A minimum number of components are required, and the entireassembly is light weight, which is advantageous in wakeboarding.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, the inventive binding plate is designated bythe reference numeral 20 and includes a center portion 21 and ears 23.The center portion 21 includes a center opening 25 and arcuate slots 27.The ears 23 have ribs 29 for strength purposes. The ears 23 also haveopenings 31 which facilitate attachment of the plate 20 to a wakeboard.Each ear 23 has a number of holes 31, one in each of the ears 23 adaptedto receive a fastener to secure the plate to the wakeboard. Theplurality of holes 31 allow for further adjustment of the plate 20 withrespect to the wakeboard to increase the number of orientationsavailable to the user of the wakeboard. While a number of holes areshown, each ear could have just one hole. These multiple holes alsoallow heel-to-toe adjustment of the wakeboard binding.

The center portion 21 of the plate 20 includes a pair of arcuate andirregular surfaced or toothed segments 33. As explained below, the teethof the segments 33 assist in angular positioning of the boot assembly 3.

FIG. 4 shows the boot binding chassis 35. The chassis has a toe portion37, heel portion 39 and center portion 41. The center portion 41includes a pair of toothed segments 43 and a set of threaded openings 45(four in total). The toothed segments 43 can be secured to the bindingchassis 35 in any known manner, mechanical attachment, molding,adhesives, combinations thereof, or the like.

In operation, a user already knows the desired angular stance for use,i.e., the boot assembly is particularly angled with respect to thebinding plate attaching the boot to a wakeboard. Therefore, the plate 20can be rotated to the desired angle with respect to the bindingchassis-containing boot assembly 3, and the teeth 33 of the plate 20 canengage the teeth 43 in the binding chassis 35. With the plate 20engaging the boot chassis, the slots 27 in the plate still expose thethreaded openings 45 in the boot chassis 35, and fasteners (not shown)can be employed to secure the plate 20 to the binding chassis 35.

It should be understood that the slots 27 in the plate 20, threadedopenings 45 in the binding chassis 35 and fasteners are but one meansfor attaching the plate 20 to the chassis 35. Other means could be used.For example, other shaped and/or different numbers of slots could beemployed. Similarly, although threaded openings are shown to receivefasteners, other types of fasteners could be employed that would notrequire threading, e.g., press fit, adhesives, clamps, pins, etc.

The plate and chassis attached together are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 andit can be seen that the centerline “X” of the boot chassis 35 and thecenterline “Y” of the binding plate 20 are particularly angled, α withrespect to each other. Depending on the user's preference, α can bealtered by rotation of the plate with respect to the chassis. Once theplate 20 and chassis 35 are attached together, the openings 31 in theears 23 of the plate 20 are used to attach the plate 20 to the wakeboardusing fasteners 47, and the bindings are ready for use by the user. FIG.6 also shows the binding chassis 5 and a portion of the binding upper 44which is part of the boot assembly 3 for the user from a perspectivedefined by the axes X and Y. The binding upper is shown schematically,and can be any type of an upper structure which receives the feet of thewakeboard user. The engagement of the teeth of the chassis 35 and plate20 are shown by reference numeral 46. Fasteners 49 that are employed toattach the plate 20 to the binding chassis 35 are also shown.

It should also be understood that while teeth are employed, virtuallyany irregular surface that would allow the plate 20 and chassis 35 tomesh or mate with each other to inhibit relative movement can beemployed. Also, while arcuate toothed segments are used in the plate 20and chassis 35, rings could be employed as well as other shaped segmentsthat would allow the angular adjustment when attaching the plate 20 tothe chassis 35.

The inventive binding assembly offers an improved binding plate designthat involves only one piece, and is therefore less costly, and lighterin weight.

The inventive binding plate can be made from virtually any material,metal, polymers, composites, and combinations thereof. Polymers, such asnylon or the like are preferred for their strength and resistance to theeffects of water. In addition, the If the plate is metal, themanufacturing methods, may involve stamping, machining, etc. Moldingtechniques such as compression, injection, etc. may be employed whenusing polymers as materials of construction.

It should be understood that the binding chassis is part of the bootassembly that is ultimately attached to the wakeboard. Boot assemblieshave components that secure the foot of the user when riding thewakeboard, and include heel and toe pieces, one piece boots, overlays,underlays, laces, footbeds, bases and the like. The boot chassis isessentially the bottom component of the boot assembly that provides thesurface of the irregular surface to engage the complementary irregularsurface of the binding plate, and can take any number of forms providingthat it includes the bottom surface for mounting or inclusion of theirregular surface.

As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of preferredembodiments thereof which fulfills each and every one of the objects ofthe present invention as set forth above and provides a new and improvedwakeboard binding plate assembly, and its use in a wakeboard binding,and a method of use.

Of course, various changes, modifications and alterations from theteachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilledin the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof.It is intended that the present invention only be limited by the termsof the appended claims.

1. A wakeboard binding plate assembly comprising: a) a binding chassishaving at least one first irregular surface on a bottom surface thereof;b) a binding plate having at least one second irregular surface adaptedto engage the first irregular surface and means for attaching thebinding plate to a wakeboard; and c) means for mounting the bindingplate to the binding chassis in different angular orientations.
 2. Theassembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one first irregular surfacecomprises a toothed ring or a plurality of toothed segments mounted toan underside of the chassis.
 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the atleast one second irregular surface further comprises a plurality ofarcuate toothed segments on an upper surface of the binding plate. 4.The assembly of claim 1, wherein the means for mounting the bindingplate includes a plurality of first openings in the binding chassis, aplurality of second openings in the binding plate, and fasteners toextend through the second openings and into the first openings, thesecond openings configured so that the first openings remain visiblethrough the second openings for receiving the fasteners regardless ofangular orientation of the binding plate with respect to the bindingchassis.
 6. The assembly of claim 2, wherein each tooth represents a twodegree change in angulation.
 7. The assembly of claim 3, wherein eachtooth represents a two degree change in angulation.
 8. A method ofsecuring a binding chassis to a binding plate in a given angularorientation for use with a wakeboard comprising: a) providing a bindingchassis with at least one first irregular surface on an undersidethereof; b) providing a binding plate with at least one second irregularsurface on an upper side thereof; c) selecting an angulation between thebinding plate and binding chassis, and mating the at least one secondirregular surface of the binding plate with the at least one firstirregular surface of the binding chassis; and d) securing the bindingplate to the binding chassis with the selected angulation.
 9. The methodof claim 8, further comprising attaching the binding plate to awakeboard.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one first andsecond irregular surfaces are one of a plurality of toothed segments ora toothed ring.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least onefirst and second irregular surfaces are one of a plurality of toothedsegments or a toothed ring.
 12. In a wakeboard binding having a bootassembly with a binding chassis and a binding plate to secure the bootassembly to the wakeboard, the improvement comprising using the bindingplate assembly of claim 1 to secure the boot assembly to the wakeboard.